SECURITY CREWS KEEP BUSES SAFE

A CREW of security guards will soon roll out on Townsville’s buses in a move aimed at preventing attacks on drivers.

The state government announced four dedicated staff would hitch rides on the region’s services to keep an eye on passengers and try to keep drivers safe.

The new tactic comes after multiple incidents against bus drivers, including abuse and sexual assaults.

Sunbus recorded 52 assaults on bus drivers in six months.

SECURITY guards will soon be hitching rides on Townsville buses to protect drivers from violent passengers.

The state government’s announcement of the four officers comes after the Bulletin revealed 52 assaults had been reported to Sunbus in six months.

Bus drivers have been robbed, sexually assaulted and taunted while servicing the region’s public transport routes, sparking a call from the community to fix the issue.

Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the team of staff would work closely with police on a 12-month trial.

“There’s zero tolerance around violence and anti-social behaviour on our public transport network and anywhere else,” he said.

“That’s why the chance to improve safety for both commuters and bus drivers was one we weren’t going to pass up.”

The new tactic has been developed in response to two youth fare evasion round table meetings hosted by the state government last year.

Translink also met with Townsville stakeholders in February to discuss how it could improve the working quality of its drivers.

The Bulletin reported a number of brazen incidents earlier this year, including a violent assault that was caught on camera. A group of children, aged between 13 and 16, were caught on CCTV robbing a passenger and assaulting a bus driver in January.

THERE’S ZERO TOLERANCE AROUND VIOLENCE AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ON OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK

TOWNSVILLE MP SCOTT STEWART

In July, a 20-year-old man was sentenced to 12 months’ jail for sexually assaulting a driver.

Townsville Magistrates Court heard how the passenger waited until he was alone with the female driver at the final stop and grabbed her breast as she reached down to grab a ticket.

The court heard the driver then drove a few minutes down the road before pulling over and bursting into tears.

Recruitment for the four staff has started and boots are set to hit the ground in November.

Kinetic chief operations officer Matthew Carney said he hoped the new staff would encourage more people to use public transport.

“Each and every one of our drivers are immensely proud of the role they play in keeping these regions connected and moving … and the introduction of CSOS to the network will help them do their job and give passengers a greater experience with our services,” he said. The success of the pilot program will be evaluated at the end of the 12-month period to assess the potential of a broader rollout throughout Queensland.